Israel is increasingly concerned about damage to Israeli- Jordanian relations
caused by anti-normalization elements in Jordan that have become more and more
active since the beginning of the year, sources in Jerusalem said
Tuesday.

While there have long been vocal elements inside Jordan opposed
to the 1994 Israeli-Jordanian peace treaty, in recent months these voices have
increased and are jeopardizing economic ties, the sources said.

For
instance, last week the Jordanian insurance agency that provided policies for
the Israeli embassy’s fleet of cars in Amman informed envoys that because of
pressure from anti-normalization forces to cut off ties, it would no longer work
with the embassy, a move that has forced it to scramble to find a new
insurer.

In addition, the sources said that since the beginning of the
year there had been a 25-30 percent decrease in agricultural products exported
to Jordan because of pressure placed on Jordanian businesses bringing in the
products.

According to the sources, those opposed to peace between the
two countries are looking for the names of Jordanian businesses importing items
from Israel, and placing pressure on them to end their contact with Israeli
firms.

In addition, the sources said that even Jordanian exporters – such
as businesses selling olives to Israel – are being pressured to stop. The olive
exporters are being told that Israeli firms are taking their olives, making
olive oil out of them and exporting it themselves for a profit to
Europe.

The sources said Israeli diplomatic officials had raised these
matters with Jordanian authorities, hoping to hear government statements saying
there is peace with Israel and that business is not only permitted but
welcome.

They were met with “rolling eyes.”

The sources said
anti-normalization forces in Jordan then see there is no objection from the
government, gain confidence from the silence and continue with their
efforts.

In addition, the sources said the Jordanian press was
increasingly becoming more anti-Israel. For instance, an article Monday on the
English website of the Ammon news service referred to Prime Minister Binyamin
Netanyahu as a war criminal, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon as a
“despicable bastard,” Israel as a “snake,” and Zionists as a “despicable,
obnoxious group of people.”

The Jordan Times, meanwhile, ran a story
Sunday reporting that 17 years after the signing of the Israeli-Jordanian peace
treaty, many Jordanian journalists “still view Israel as an enemy occupying Arab
lands and oppressing a brotherly Arab people, which, they say, should be enough
to deprive it of the right to get an Arab platform.”

The paper quoted the
head of Jordan Press Association, Tareq Momani, as saying that when Israel was
involved, patriotism “should take precedence over all other considerations.” He
said his organization opposed contact between its members and
Israelis.

“We are totally against any contact with Israelis. The issue
here is not just about journalism.

Israel for us is still an enemy
occupying Arab land and oppressing Arab people.

We will not accept giving
their views a platform,” Momani was quoted as telling the Times.

The
sources in Jerusalem attributed the increasingly negative atmosphere toward
Israel in Jordan to the Arab Spring, the diplomatic standoff with the
Palestinians and the run-up to the Palestinian statehood recognition bid at the
UN in September.